"You seem to … feel guilty," Cao Xin said calmly as he looked at Feng Bujue, who was slowly getting up.
"No, I am just feeling sorry for her." After Feng Bujue steadied himself, he turned to Cao Qin with a cold gaze. "As a chess piece, her life has been too heavy and sorrowful."
"Chess piece … huh …" Cao Xin said slowly. Then, he smiled and said, "Master Feng … it seems like there's nothing in this world that can escape your eyes."
"Now that Lin Yan is dead, you can tell me what happened, right?" Feng Bujue continued.
"I can …" Cao Xin said, "But … is there really a need for that?"
"Eunuch Cao, you have great foresight and great foresight. If you don't find someone who can understand you and tell them …" Feng Bujue replied, "Wouldn't it be like casting pearls before swine?"
"Ha … alright." Cao Xin smiled.
He paused for a few seconds to organize his thoughts and continued, "This … has to start from the year of the Sword Conference in Chang Lin."
"I am all ears," Feng Bujue said.
Cao Xin nodded and continued, "That year, the Sword Conference changed the world. The news of Lin Chang colluding with the former commander of the Brocade Guards, Qian Ning, undoubtedly reached the ears of the late emperor. The late emperor thought that this matter should be taken as a warning and should not be taken lightly … If the forces of the martial world and some of the forces in the imperial court secretly formed an alliance, they would quickly become a force that no one could control, and they might even become a threat to the imperial power. " He paused for half a second before continuing, "So … not long after, a long and heavy mission fell on my shoulders."
"So, that's how it is …" Feng Bujue asked. "It started then …"
Cao Xin did not respond to his words. Instead, he continued to narrate, "In order to achieve this mission, I need two chess pieces. One … is someone who is the best in the world in martial arts and who listens to my every word. The other … is someone who has ambition, perseverance, and knows how to seize opportunities."
"It's Lin Yan and Yuan Qi," Feng Bujue answered.
"Heh …" Cao Qin smiled but didn't answer. He continued to speak, "Training the first person requires time. Fortunately, time is the one thing I don't lack. Since we don't lack time, the next thing is to confirm the candidate. "He paused." Lin Yan … is the perfect candidate. "
"Is it easier to control a little girl like that?" Feng Bujue said coldly.
"It's not as easy as you think, but … I did succeed," Cao Xin replied proudly.
Then, Eunuch Cao untied the wine jug hanging from his waist and took a sip before saying, "After Lin Chang's death, his widow who was pregnant with his posthumous child was chased out of the Ye residence. I sent spies from the Eastern Faction Guards to spy on her in secret for several years to see if they could find out Lin Chang's secret martial arts manual from her. In the end … I didn't find the 'Formless and Void Law,' but … my spies unexpectedly found out that Lin Chang's daughter was a peerless genius. "
Speaking of this, Cao Xin subconsciously glanced at Lin Yan's body. "I waited for five years and felt that it was about time … So I sent someone to spread the news that Lin Chang's widow hid in a small town with the peerless secret book left by her husband.
Sure enough, in less than half a month, some bandits were attracted by the smell of blood.
That night, I hid in the dark and waited until they forced Lin Yan's mother to death. Then, I saved the girl.
From then on, I became her adoptive father. "
"Then, you sold me out?" Feng Bujue interrupted.
"Heh heh … Master Feng, you have to understand," Cao Qin said. "People need motivation to grow. Her mother's death was a big blow to her, but I've already taken care of those murderers. It's not that I didn't think of … deliberately letting a few of them go and let them become Lin Yan's future targets for revenge. But to be honest … those people weren't qualified at all. With Lin Yan's talent, she could've killed them all before she was ten years old. "
"So … as the enemy who killed her father, I became the best choice," Feng Bujue continued.
"You've seen her martial arts now." Cao Qin stretched out his hand and gestured at the corpse. "Master Feng, you should feel honored … Without you, Lin Yan wouldn't be who she is today."
"You'd better continue talking about your mission." Feng Bujue didn't turn his head to look at Lin Yan. He only looked at Cao Qin and communicated with him in an unfriendly tone.
"In the ten years after that, Lin Yan's martial arts improved by leaps and bounds. Her comprehension was extremely high. At the age of six, she built her foundation with the Fated Star Mysterious Technique. She also learned many things from me … By the time she was eighteen, there weren't many people in the martial arts world who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her, "Cao Qin continued. Cao Qin continued, "Most importantly, she is very obedient. Compared to her hatred, she is very grateful to me, her 'savior' and 'teacher.' As long as it was a mission I gave her, she would complete it without hesitation. "
"If I'm not wrong … King of Hell was born at that time, right?" Feng Bujue asked.
"Yes," Cao Qin replied. Cao Qin replied. "The existence of Heartgrave Valley and the legend of King Yanluo's immortality are all part of the plan." He took another sip of wine and looked at Brother Bujue with a strange expression. "You should be able to understand that those techniques that allow one to stay young are no longer 'martial arts' but 'Dao.' As for me … I only started cultivating when I was over fifty years old. Lin Yan can be said to have taken advantage of me … In order to keep her young and 'immortal' appearance, I would pass on a portion of my Profound Dao skills to her every year. I would also instruct her to meet with all the residents of Buried Heart Valley every month so that they could be witnesses. "
"But doing this … is different from living forever, right?" Feng Bujue continued.
"Of course it's different," Cao Qin said. Cao Qin said, "Didn't you see it just now? Once her power dissipates, her body will age exponentially."
"To put it bluntly … you're overdrafting her lifespan in advance," Feng Bujue said.
"I can't do anything about it … After all, the Dao heart is different from martial arts. It's not something that can be easily cultivated at her age." Cao Qin waved his hand. "In order to prevent her from aging, this is the only way."
"Then … what happened after that?" Feng Bujue didn't want to listen to this anymore and asked another question.
Cao Qin continued calmly, "Twenty-one years ago, the situation in Buried Heart Valley had basically settled down. I felt that the time was right, so I began to look for a second chess piece. " He looked up at the cherry tree beside him as if he was reminiscing about the past. "That year was the first year of Sheng Ping. After the previous Emperor passed away, the crown prince … the current Emperor had just ascended to the throne. It was a time of murder. The imperial court was filled with bloodshed and countless heads fell to the ground …
For ten months of that year, I racked my brains trying to frame a group of people who stood on the wrong side and send their entire families to the execution ground.
It wasn't until the twelfth month that I had some free time. I disguised myself as a blind fortune-teller and went to the pugilistic world … "
"It was then that you chose Yuan Qi," Feng Bujue continued.
"Hah …" Cao Qin said, "You could say that Yuan Qi came to me on his own." He took another sip of wine and continued, "It was a coincidence that I met him. Initially, I felt that he didn't fit my requirements because he was too mediocre and he wasn't young anymore. Later on, I realized that he was the best candidate. The more one recognizes his mediocrity, the more one appreciates the value of opportunity. Moreover, Yuan Qi had half of the Life Star Mysterious Technique in his possession, which saved me a lot of trouble. I have to say … this was an opportunity. "
"Now … both chess pieces have been buried," Feng Bujue said.
"That's right," Cao Qin said with a smile, "What I need to do after that … is to wait for the right time to come."
"And the Emperor … chose the right time for you," Feng Bujue continued.
"You seem to know something already?" Cao Qin asked.
"I knew from the beginning that the Emperor was behind this," Brother Bujue replied, "I think … he's not critically ill at all, right?"
"Hahaha …" Cao Qin laughed. "Impressive."
"There's nothing impressive about it. It's just a simple deduction." Feng Bujue said, "If the Emperor really wanted to find the 'Art of Immortality', he could've just asked you, the director of the East Depot, who is getting younger with age. There's no need for him to look for the 'King of Hell' …" He paused for a moment. "Besides, after listening to your explanation, I can basically confirm that … the current Emperor knows about the King of Hell and the mission that the late Emperor gave you. Therefore, this so-called 'Art of Immortality' mission actually has another purpose … "
"It's so relaxing to chat with Master Feng." Cao Qin nodded. "You're right … This trip is actually a 'cleansing' mission." When he said this, his expression became slightly more serious. "The current Emperor is old. He only has one son, and he hasn't officially appointed a crown prince yet. As for Prince Jin, Zhu Zhixia … He's in the prime of his life, and he has a good reputation among the people. Although he doesn't have any intention of overstepping his authority, there are many people in the imperial court who want to push him … and use him to rise to the throne.
The civil officials are easy to deal with since I have a hundred ways to kill them. However, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Governor-General's Office, the Imperial Army, and even the people in my East Depot … They're not so easy to deal with. "
"By now, these people should be dead, right?" Feng Bujue had seen the corpses in the mountain villa, so he guessed a thing or two.
"Haha … Of course," Cao Qin said. "During this trip to Buried Heart Valley, I gathered the few people who should be killed the most … It's very easy to get rid of them all in one go."
"Then, what about the mission that the late Emperor gave you?" Feng Bujue asked again.
"Well …" Cao Qin's expression changed slightly. "I used the Art of Immortality as bait to lure Yuan Qi and many martial artists here. Originally, I wanted them to fight with the people in the valley trained by Lin Yan until both sides suffered great losses … Then, I could take the opportunity to wipe out all the first-class elites in the Central Plains in one go." He paused for two seconds before he continued, "Then, I only needed to let Lin Yan establish a sect in the martial arts world … In three years at most, she would be able to unify the martial arts world."
"In that case … the martial arts world would be in your hands," Feng Bujue added.
"No … It's in the emperor's hands," Cao Qin said, "I'm just someone who does things."
"Whatever you say …" Feng Bujue said, "But … Lin Yan is dead now."
"Yes, she's dead," Cao Qin said.
"Then, who's going to be the Wulin Master?" Feng Bujue asked.
"Haha … Anyone can do it, but you can't," Cao Qin said with a smile.
"Why?" Feng Bujue asked even though he already knew the answer.
"Because you're someone who can't be controlled," Cao Qin said, "Even I … am afraid of people like you."
"So …" Feng Bujue gestured for Cao Qin to continue.
"So …" Cao Qin drank the last mouthful of wine in the pot. "It's best if you die here."
"I thought we were friends," Feng Bujue said.
"We are indeed friends. If possible … I don't want to kill you," Cao Qin said, "But for my dream, I must kill you."
"Dream?" Feng Bujue gave him a dead fish eye. "You're a person who has entered the Dao, but you're still working hard for the imperial court. I won't complain about that …" He laughed dryly. "But … you said you have a dream?"
Yes, of course, Cao Qin had a dream.
As mentioned before, he was a person who transcended worldly affairs.
Fame and fortune, glory, splendor and wealth, they were no longer important to him.
He already had the unparalleled martial arts in the world.
Beautiful women … Let's not talk about this.
In short, the things that most people in the secular world pursued were no longer pursuits for him.
However, Cao Qin still had a dream.
What he was considering was not so much a personal "ideal" as it was a "concept".
"Confucians use literature to break the law, while chivalrous men use martial arts to break the law." Cao Qin's voice suddenly became high-pitched, and his eyes became very sharp. "Only a single word … can put an end to the conflict between factions. Only by unifying the Jianghu can there be no more Jianghu in the world.
It's easy to kill people, but difficult to destroy the heart. Buried Heart Valley buries not only people, but also hearts.
I said … I have plenty of time. Even if it takes another fifty or a hundred years, I will complete all of this.
The day I succeed, the Great Ming Dynasty will last for thousands of years, and the country will prosper and the people will be at peace. "
"Good ~ Ah ~ Well said." Feng Bujue put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and said, "But when that time comes, won't you … become a heretic that must be eliminated under this system?"
"This … You don't have to worry about …" Cao Qin said as he threw away the wine pot in his hand and released his inner Qi.
At that moment, the surrounding cherry blossoms fell like snow, and the light mist that filled the sky spun like a whirlpool.
At this moment, the light of dawn scattered from the sky …
For many years, this was the first time Cao Qin used his inner Qi with a serious attitude. Because he knew … the opponent in front of him was worthy of him doing this.
"Master Feng, there's no need to be so polite." Amidst the falling petals, Cao Qin flipped his palm and raised it. "In today's battle, life and death will be decided by the heavens. I have no regrets!"
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